Dixie State College women’s basketball player Johnna Brown is named Athlete of the Month after stepping up on the court.
Brown was chosen as Athlete of the Month by head coach Derek Dawes because of her leadership in the game.
“Johnna really stands out right now,” Dawes said. “She is carrying the team on offense.”
Brown averages 15.1 points a game and 11.5 rebounds per game.
Brown has had an increase of playing time over the past month and has responded positively to the new demands.
“She has been playing a lot of minutes during the game and does not complain at all,” Dawes said.
Her teammates have noticed the way she competes and the impact Brown has on the court.
“She is a play maker,” said guard Megan Hatt, a freshman music education major from Green River. “She makes it so she and other players can score.”
Center Taylor Mann, a sophomore elementary education major from Castledale, agreed with Hatt.
“She is a stud,” Mann said. “She can score at will and get her teammates involved.”
Not only is Brown a team player on the court, but she is off the court as well.
“She is the reason why the team is close off the court,” Dawes said.
Dawes said during team dinners Brown talks to everyone and makes them feel like they are one big family.
Mann said when she received a head injury, Brown sacrificed her shirt to stop the bleeding and was the first team member to text her and ask if she was OK.
“She is the perfect example of a team captain,” Mann said.
Brown’s coach and teammates agreed that she cares for every member on the team and wants to see them succeed in whatever they do.
“She is willing to help all of the time,” Hatt said. “She even offered to help me with my math homework last semester.”
Many people may not know that Brown plays softball for the Red Storm as well.
“She is a multi-sport player, which is very rare in college,” Dawes said.
Brown has had some big plays over the season, and the team, as well as Red Storm fans, are ready to see what else she can do.
“The coolest play she has had this season is when one of our teammates dropped the ball, and Brown came across court grabbed, it with one hand, and made the basket right under the rim,” Mann said.
Dawes said Brown does not just have one play that is the best: it is her ability that is the best.
“It is her ability to crack it out under the rim when the team needs it the most,” Dawes said. “We know she will be there when it is crunch time.”